The Gods of the Mexica (2)

Here (finally - our fault!) is the second part of the superb introductory essay on this all-important topic generously written specially for us by Professor Guilhem Olivier, of the Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) in Mexico City.

Gods and ritualsUndoubtedly rituals, both public and private, played a vital role in the life of the ancient Mexica, to the point that every stage in the life cycle – birth, marriage, death, etc. – involved the fulfilment of specific rites. In the same way, different social groups, communities or states had their own rituals aimed at venerating their patron gods or furthering their influence on society.

Of course it was the ritual practice of sacrifice that has drawn most attention among those who have described the religion of the ancient Mexicans (Pic 13). Just as in many other religions of the world, the sacrifice of animals and human beings constituted a central element in the cosmovision of the Mexica. Their purpose was to feed the Sun and the Earth. In the myth of the origin of the Sun and the Moon, the story is told of how two gods sacrificed themselves in a giant bonfire in order to transform themselves into the two celestial bodies, and in order for these to begin moving in the sky. In fact, the idea that life springs from death was a fundamental one in Mesoamerican thought, as we saw in the myth of the origin of humans from bones.

We know that children, young men and women, the elderly could all be ‘images’ of deities for certain periods of time, at the end of which they would be sacrificed. Let’s take the example of the 20-day ‘month’ of toxcatl in Tenochtitlan. This was the principal feast dedicated to Tezcatlipoca, during which a young war captive would represent the god. As he passed through the streets, playing his flute, smelling flowers and smoking cigars, people would bow before him and eat earth as a sign of respect, and women would show him to their children. Shortly before the feast, Tezcatlipoca’s representative married four women, each images of the goddesses Xochiquétzal, Xilonen, Uixtacíhuatl and Atlatonan. Twenty days later the youth, who had been sumptuously attired by the king himself, accompanied by his four wives, rowed in a small canoe towards a low temple. Under his own will, the youth slowly ascended the steps of the pyramid. As he climbed, he broke a flute on each step. Once at the top of the building, the priests sacrificed him, opening his chest to remove his heart that would be offered to the Sun (Pic 14). In broad terms, the representative of Tezcatlipoca acted out the role of substitute for the king or tlatoani whose death or self-sacrifice was played out by this young man. In other words, the youth represented the king’s protective deity, whose will he carried out on earth.

In parallel with all these magnificent public rituals, attended by thousands, countless private rites took place, in diverse locations: in private homes to celebrate a birth, in fields to encourage the earth’s fertility, in caves, to give thanks to the spirits of the mountains, etc. Many of these rites have survived in indigenous communities – albeit with some changes - to this day, out of the sight and control of the state or local government.

Gods and societyMost Mexica deities were broadly linked to specific cities, towns, or neighbourhoods. The growing number of gods in the Post-Classic era paralleled society’s steady evolution, and the structure of the ‘family’ of gods closely reflected the community’s social structure; if we look at the guilds of the time – groups of people that specialised in the same trade or profession – we quickly recognise their associated gods: Coyotl Ináhual for featherworkers, Xipe Tótec for workers of precious metals, Yacatecuhtli for merchants, Tláloc for farmers, etc. (Pic 15). Even the least fortunate, those often referred to rather erroneously as slaves (tlatlacotin), were protected by a god as powerful as Tezcatlipoca. Obviously the ruling classes were privileged with their own guardian deities, such as Tláloc (protecting priests), Xochipilli (nobles) and Tezcatlipoca with Huitzilopochtli (for the king himself).

The myths recount how the gods provide humans with life, sustenance [food] and cultural benefits, in exchange for prayers, songs, offerings and sacrifices. This central dependence on divine beings translated into expressions of devotion on the part of the indigenous population that left the Spanish friars in utter awe. Clearly the ancient Mexicans gave frequent expression to a profound veneration of their gods. If it’s true some sources show evidence of captives or slaves resisting their own sacrifice, other reliable sources confirm that many who were due to be sacrificed – such as the representative of Tezcatlipoca, described above – faithfully accepted their fate. And it was the importance of fate that weighed on humans’ minds, tied directly as it was to their date of birth. This has given rise, over the years, to the famously ‘fatalistic’ character of the ancient Mexicans. I think this opinion needs qualifying. Let’s take the example of Tezcatlipoca’s apparitions, as the god of fate. In reality it was always possible that meeting the deity could turn into a confrontation, and a daring warrior could even defeat Tezcatlipoca himself and demand gifts and favours from him. So without underestimating the undoubted importance of destiny, the attitudes of mortals also play their part in shaping relationships with supernatural beings. We should recall that the gods needed humans too to keep them fed, praised, and indeed sacrificed through representations in order later to be born again.

Pic 14: Sacrifice of a youth representing Tezcatlipoca for the feast of the ‘month’ of Toxcatl, Florentine Codex, Book 2, fol. 30r (Click on image to enlarge)

The Five Suns of the Mexica•Name / Translation / Calendrical Name / Source of Destruction

Pic 19: One of the giants: Tezcatlipoca, from the Codex Borgia; illustration by Miguel Covarrubias (Click on image to enlarge)

• Mictlantecuhtli complexMictlantecuhtli (‘Lord of Mictlan’) – god of death and the underworldMictecacíhuatl (‘Lady of Mictlan’) – goddess of death and the underworldTlaltecuhtli (‘Lord/Lady of the earth’) – god(dess) of the earth